Page 22 of Destroyed

Sam snores softly beside me as I stare out my bedroom window. I know I’m giving her mixed signals, with my erratic neediness. She shows up though, even if I’m not consistent with whatever it is we are.

Riley and I had driven home from our parents without talking too much about what we’d discovered. I had tried to bring it up, the fact that our parents had been pals at some point with the man who sicced Nate on his own wife. So fucked up. I want to flush it all out with her, to hypothesize where and when Ethan Lockhart got it in his head that my sister was something he thought would be payment for someone else’s debt.

“Do you want to talk about these pictures?” I’d asked halfway into our drive, gesturing to the albums strewn in the backseat. I had grabbed them on our way out.

“No. I need to talk to Sebastian about it.”

That was all she said. So I dropped it. For all I know, my parents have absolutely no clue that Lockhart is the source of Riley’s most recent troubles…

I’m aware that the working theory is that Lockhart is now the source ofmytroubles, too.Someonetried to hit Xavier and me that night.Someonehad it in for us. But was it me they were after because Riley had slipped through Lockhart’s fingers? Or was it Xavier? The thoughts spin in my head and I don’t noticeSam stirring next to me until she places a warm hand on my thigh.

“You’re up late,” she smiles, snuggling closer to me. “How long have I been out?”

“A few hours,” I say. “Go back to sleep.” I peck the top of her head and am about to roll away when I hear my phone buzzing. Who the hell is calling at 2:00 am?

I look at the screen and see Xavier’s picture, the light from my phone making him ever so present in my small space.

“Hello?” I answer, confusion and curiosity causing my voice to waver. “Are you okay?”

I instantly hate myself. Why should I care if he’s okay? Why did I even answer? He’s been nothing but a total dick and now I have to explain who the man calling at 2:00 in the morning is to Sam, who I’ve managed to avoid any serious conversations with.

“What did you see in me?” he asks, slurring the words together into one sentence.

“You’re drunk,” I hiss. “Go to sleep.” Sam looks over at me quizzically.

“No,” he says. “I need to know. What the fuck were we doing together?”

I push back the covers and stand, giving Sam a small smile and motioning that I’ll be back.

“Xavier,” I whisper, getting more annoyed by the minute, “We weremutuallyinvested in each other. Neither of us wanted to be, believe me. But it happened.”

He’s silent, but I hear his breathing.

“Did you pass out?” I ask.

“I swore I would never be with anyone again,” he mutters. He sounds….. sad.

“Xavier?” I hesitate, deciding if I should offer help or tell him to fuck off. It’s just that he seems so broken right now. “Are you doing okay? You’ve been through…. A lot.” I sigh.

He’s quiet, then sighs too. “I don’t need anyone’s fucking help.”

“You’re right,” I say. “So don’t fucking call me in the middle of the night.” With that, I hang up. The fucker has the nerve to make me feel bad for him, then turn around and be a dick again? Nope.

I pour a glass of water from the fridge and carry it back to the bedroom. Sam rolls toward me. “Everything okay?” she asks. “Was that important?”

“It’s nothing important,” I say, squeezing her ass and then kissing her on the nose. “Goodnight.”

I roll over and pretend I’m not replaying that phone call over and over in my mind. Finally, sleep comes.

Chapter 17

Xavier

Tuesday rolls around and I’m dead on my feet…literally. I can’t remember how much I drank last night. All I know is Ben had to call me an Uber for the second time over the weekend. I groan out loud from the pounding headache and lay my head back on my desk. I never go there more than once a week, let alone a weekend, and now I know why.

My phone rings and I ignore it. It's my mother again. She’s fucking incessant. My phone pings this time from a text message.

Mom:Xavier Delacruz, I know you can see my calls. Since you aren't answering, I will text you instead. You will join your father and I for dinner on Friday. DO NOT even think about trying to cancel on us.

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